Refrigerator shelves with rolled hook for cantilever fastening

ABSTRACT

Improved shelving is provided for a refrigerator. The shelving includes a pair of upper and lower rails which extend across the back of the food compartment, and a pair of half-width shelves selectively positionable on either of the upper and lower rails. The shelves can therefore be arranged in a side-by-side manner at the same level, in a side-by-side manner at different levels, or one shelf immediately above the other in closely spaced proximity so as to provide a tall storage area within the food compartment of the refrigerator.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to the United States provisional patent application serial No. 60/305,718 entitled “Refrigerator Shelves With Rolled Hook For Cantilever Fastening” filed on Jul. 16, 2001.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Many different types of shelf structures have been provided in refrigerators to provide for storage of foods in the food compartment. Fixed and adjustable shelves are well known, as are partial shelves. Some times there is a need for a larger storage area in the refrigerator so as to accommodate large or tall objects in the food compartment. Thus, a shelf must be removed and stored outside the refrigerator, which raises concerns about potential damage to the removed shelf.

[0003] Accordingly a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of improved shelving for a refrigerator.

[0004] Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a removable refrigerator shelf which may be stored within the food compartment with minimal loss of space.

[0005] A further objective of the present invention is the provision of improved shelving for a refrigerator which can be quickly and easily installed and removed.

[0006] A further objective of the present invention is the provision of refrigerator shelving which can be removed in a horizontal orientation so as to avoid spillage from the shelf.

[0007] Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a pair of half-width refrigerator shelves which can be positioned side-by-side to provide a full width shelf, one immediately above the other to provide a tall storage space, or vertically and horizontally offset with respect to one another.

[0008] Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a refrigerator shelf with a rolled hook for cantilever mounting of the shelf in the refrigerator food compartment.

[0009] A further objective of the present invention is a removable refrigerator shelf with an elongated hook to distribute the load substantially over the width of the shelf.

[0010] Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a refrigerator shelf having a frame and support hook with unitary construction.

[0011] These and other objectives become apparent from the following description of the invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The improved refrigerator shelving of the present invention utilizes a rail assembly with upper and lower rails mounted on the back of the food compartment and extending horizontally between the opposite sides of the food compartment. First and second half-width shelves are selectively positionable on either the upper or lower rails such that the shelves can be positioned side-by-side at the same level, side-by-side at different levels, or one immediately above the other in closely spaced proximity. The rear edge of each shelf includes a rolled hook adapted to retentively engage the rearward side of the rails, and a leg engaging a forwardly sloped portion of the rail so as to cantilever the shelf from the respective rail. The shelf frame and hook preferably have a unitary construction. The rolled hook allows each shelf to be laterally slidable along the rails. The shelf can be quickly and easily installed and removed while maintained in a horizontal orientation, thereby preventing spillage of liquids from the shelf during removal for cleaning purposes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator having the improved shelving of the present invention.

[0014]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the shelving wherein the half-width shelves are laterally and vertically offset with respect to one another, with one shelf being on the upper rail and one shelf being on the lower rail.

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the improved shelving wherein the shelves are positioned one immediately above the other to provide a tall storage space adjacent the shelves, with one shelf on the upper rail and one shelf on the lower rail.

[0016]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the improved shelving in lateral side-by-side orientation to extend substantially the full width of the food compartment, with both shelves mounted on the lower rail.

[0017]FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 2.

[0018]FIG. 6 is a top plan view showing the unitary construction of the shelf hook and frame.

[0019]FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing an alternative embodiment for the rail assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] A refrigerator 10 is shown in FIG. 1 with a door 12 for the fresh food compartment 14 and a door 16 for the freezer compartment. While the refrigerator 10 is shown to be a side-by-side model, it is understood that the refrigerator 10 may have other configurations wherein the freezer is above or below the fresh food compartment 14.

[0021] The fresh food compartment 14 includes one or more food storage bins 18 and shelves 20 for the efficient storage of food and drink.

[0022] The present invention is directed towards a pair of shelves 22, 24. Preferably, each shelf 22, 24 has a width which is approximately one-half the width of the food compartment 14. As seen in FIGS. 2-4, a pair of support brackets 26 are mounted in a vertical orientation adjacent the back corners of the food compartment 14. The brackets 26 may be mounted in any convenient fashion, and may be mounted to either the side walls or rear wall of the food compartment 14. The brackets 26 include a plurality of slots 28 for mounting a rail assembly 30.

[0023] More particularly, the rail assembly 30 includes upper and lower horizontally disposed rails 32, 34, which are closely spaced to one another. The rails 32, 34 are connected to one another at their opposite ends by end plates 36. The end plates include a hook or catch 38 extending rearwardly near the upper edge of the end plates 36 and the pin 40 adjacent the lower edge of the end plates. The catch 38 and pin 40 of each end plate 36 is adapted to be received in the slots 28 in the respective support brackets 26. Thus, the rail assembly 30 can be selectively positioned at a desired height along the brackets 26.

[0024] The shelves 22, 24 each have an external frame 42, with a panel 44 mounted within the frame 42. Preferably, the external frame 42 is injection molded and the panel 44 is made of glass.

[0025] A rolled hook 46 extends rearwardly from the rear edge of the internal frame 45, as shown in FIG. 6. Preferably, the hook 46 and internal frame 45 have a unitary construction, as shown in FIG. 7. Preferably, the hook 46 extends across the width of each shelf 22, 24, though multiple spaced apart hooks could also be utilized. The hooks 46 are adapted to extend over the top edge of either the upper rail 32 or the lower rail 34 to engage the back of the rails 32, 34. An optional groove 48 may extend across the back of the rails 32, 34 to receive the hook 46, as best seen in FIG. 5. The external frame 42 of the shelves 22, 24 also includes a downwardly extending leg 50 adapted to engage the rails 32, 34, such that the shelves 22, 24 cantilever forwardly from the rails 32, 34. The internal frame 45 may optionally include a metal reinforcement member 52 for the leg 50. As with the hook 46, preferably the leg 50 extends substantially across the width of each shelf 22, 24, but alternatively separate spaced apart legs can be provided.

[0026] Each rail 32, 34 includes a sloped forward surface 54. Therefore, when it is necessary to remove the shelves 22, 24 for cleaning, for example if there is spillage on the shelf, the shelves 22, 24 can be lifted upwardly and rearwardly while being maintained in a horizontal position, such that material does not spill from the shelf. The external frame 42 defines a raised lip 56 extending above the panel 44 so as to prevent liquids spilled onto one of the shelves 22, 24 from spilling off the shelf 22, 24.

[0027] The shelves 22, 24 can be arranged on the rails 32, 34 in several manners. In FIG. 2, the shelves are side-by-side but vertically offset, with shelf 22 being mounted on the upper rail 32, and the shelf 24 being mounted on the lower rail 34. If space is needed in the fresh food compartment 14 for a tall item, shelf 24 can be slid laterally along the rail 34 so as to be positioned immediately below the shelf 22, as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the space previously occupied by shelf 24 is now open to receive a tall object within the food compartment 14, without losing any substantial storage space beneath the shelf 22, and without having to store the shelf 24 somewhere outside the refrigerator 10. It is understood that the shelves 22, 24 can slide in either lateral direction along the rails 32, 34, such that the shelves can be on either the left or right sides of the food compartment 14.

[0028] The elongated hook 46 and the sloped rail faces 54, 54A enhance distribution of the shelf load substantially across the width of the hook and rail faces. The slope faces 54, 54A also increases the reactive distance for the shelf load, as compared to a vertical rail of the same height. Therefore, the shelves 22, 24 can be stacked in a vertical height of approximately 3 inches, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0029] Another shelf arrangement is shown in FIG. 4, wherein the shelves 22, 24 are mounted side-by-side at the same level. It is understood that the shelves 22, 24 can both be mounted on the lower rail 34, as shown in FIG. 4, or can both be mounted on the upper rail 32 so as to provide an effective full-width shelf area extending substantially between the sidewalls of the refrigerator 10.

[0030] An alternative embodiment of the rail assembly is shown in FIG. 7, and includes elongated metal plates or rails 32A, 34A which are mounted angularly upon the end plates 36A so as to define a sloped face 54A on each rail 32A, 34A. The mounting of the shelves 22, 24 upon rails 32A, 34A is the same as described above with respect to rails 32, 34.

[0031] The invention has been shown and described above with the preferred embodiments, and it is understood that many modifications, substitutions, and additions may be made which are within the intended spirit and scope of the invention. From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present invention accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Improved shelving for a refrigerator having a food compartment with opposite sides and a back wall, the improved shelving comprising: first and second rails extending across the food compartment adjacent the back wall and being closely vertically spaced; first and second half-width shelves each being selectively positionable on either of the first and second rails such that the shelves can be positioned side-by-side at the same level, side-by-side at different levels, and one immediately above the other in closely spaced proximity.
 2. The improved shelving of claim 1 wherein each shelf includes a rear edge with a hook adapted to retentively engage one of the rails to support the shelf thereon.
 3. The improved shelving of claim 2 wherein each rail includes a groove for receiving the hook.
 4. The improved shelving of claim 2 wherein each shelf further includes a leg for further supporting the shelf on the rail.
 5. The improved shelving of claim 1 wherein the rails each have opposite ends and are joined at the opposite ends by end plates.
 6. The improved shelving of claim 1 wherein each rail has a sloped front face such that each shelf can be lifted rearwardly and upwardly for removal from the rail while being maintained in a horizontal orientation.
 7. The improved shelving of claim 1 wherein the rails comprise an assembly and the assembly is vertically adjustable within the food compartment.
 8. The improved shelving of claim 1 wherein the shelves are laterally slidable on the rails.
 9. The improved shelving of claim 1 wherein each shelf has an internal and an external frame, and the hook is formed integrally with the internal frame for each shelf.
 10. A refrigerator comprising: a food compartment having a rear wall and opposite side walls defining a compartment width; a rail assembly including a pair of interconnected upper and lower rails mounted on the back wall of the food compartment and each rail extending substantially between the opposite side walls; a pair of shelves independently mountable on each of the rails and having a combined width approximately equal to the compartment width, such that the shelves can be selectively laterally offset, vertically offset, and laterally and vertically offset with respect to one another.
 11. The refrigerator of claim 10 wherein the upper and lower rails are closely spaced to one another.
 12. The refrigerator of claim 10 wherein the shelves each include a hook adapted to engage the rails to cantilever the shelves from the rails.
 13. The refrigerator of claim 12 wherein each rail has a groove for receiving the shelf hooks.
 14. The refrigerator of claim 12 wherein the shelves each include a leg to engage the rails to further support the shelf thereon.
 15. The refrigerator of claim 10 wherein the rail assembly includes opposite end plates at each end of the rails.
 16. The improved shelving of claim 10 wherein each rail has a sloped front face such that each shelf can be lifted rearwardly and upwardly for removal from the rail while being maintained in a horizontal orientation.
 17. The refrigerator of claim 10 wherein the rail assembly is vertically adjustable in the food compartment.
 18. The refrigerator of claim 10 wherein the shelves are laterally slidable on the rails.
 19. The improved shelving of claim 10 wherein each shelf has an internal and external frame, and the hook is formed integrally with the internal frame for each shelf. 